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Friday, December 27, 2013

Becky's birthday party

Pretty proud of my Monster High cake.  - never mind the fact that the first one stuck to the pan and I had to make another one.  That's why you take a vacation day the day before....just in case you need to make another cake!! - The frosting wasn't super sweet (and Becky thought the bow was more red than pink) but otherwise, it was a success!

Waiting patiently to blow out her candles

posing before opening presents

she was so excited to get this movie

Every picture I took of her opening presents was great.  Didn't think I needed to post them all.  I love how she gets so excited about everything and how she loves posing for pictures.  I suppose there will be a day where it won't be cool to pose for your mom at your birthday party....so I'm enjoying those moments while I still can!

Her very own Just Like Me American Girl doll

Another Monster High girl to add to her collection.

Yep.  Boone totally photo bombed.  Little stinker!!

Here she is posing again.  How did she get so big so fast?


Just because I love having a picture of us around her birthday.

Can't leave Colby out of every picture!!
It was a nice birthday party.  Thanks to all who could come.  Becky was spoiled as always, but she had a blast and is still enjoying playing with all of her presents.  (even though Christmas has actually come and gone and there are more :)  Colby is enjoying the Monster High girls too.  He loved watching the movie with his sister and is constantly asking her if he can play with them.  She gets a little annoyed, but I know that she secretly loves that he wants to be like her.  And what a wonderful little role model she is turning into.  I couldn't be more proud of her!

leaves

One of our family's favorite times of year is fall.  We love raking up piles of leaves and playing in them.  Of course, Al and I love this house more than the last because there are not 35 plus bags of them to rake up.  However, there always seems to be enough for the kids to have a blast.  




Colby seems to have picked up a rock.  Good thing he didn't throw that in the air!




The kids are running so fast here that they're a blur.

Going to get Grandpa Monte.  He didn't like it so much.  Ha!
Oh, what fun it is!!

October highlights

Since I haven't blogged for a while...here are some of the fun highlights from October

pumpkin carving


brotherly love

Clawdeen and the Hulk

 soccer

Monday, October 07, 2013

Colby's Birthday

Colby on his birthday!  Colby got to wake up and open his presents before heading off to "school" for the day.  I always loved that Mom made our birthdays special and let us open presents before breakfast.  This is a tradition I'm glad to be able to pass on to my kids.  It's so worth it to see the smiles on their faces that early in the morning!
(It was picture day for Becky, so she was practicing poses!) 

Becky made Colby a Spiderman mask.  He was pretty excited to try it out.


No 3-year-old birthday is complete without a trip to Chuck E. Cheese!! 



Drake and Chase were able to join us there.

Al even let Colby sit on his lap to drive the car.  He thought he was pretty cool.

Talking on the phone.  Something Colby LOVES to do.

On that Saturday, Colby and I ran in the Beaverdale Fall Festival 5K and then sat with friends and watched the parade.

waiting for candy

Becky and Al walked with Northwest Soccer in the parade.  Becky had so much fun throwing candy to people and waving.  She was very excited that she saved two bracelets and fans just to give to us.  

Taking a break to have a drink of lemonade.

That Becky is such a poser.  I love it!!

Colby with his fan and his medal.

Then the following Saturday, we had a birthday party for Colby


Colby was very excited to get Hulk hands.  He wears them at least once a day and practices "smashing" things.  Yesterday he got to go pick out his Halloween costume.  He chose The Hulk.  He had to come home and try it on...complete with the hands.  It's going to be a fun Halloween!

Colby's cake.  It wasn't my best cake ever made.....but Colby loved it and that's all that really matters!

Colby blowing out his candles.  Becky put them on the cake, so they were pretty spread out.  He had no problem blowing them out though.
one.....

two.....

three!  
(and, yes, the big kids were a little bummed that Colby was big enough to blow out the candles on his own and they didn't get to help this time.  I think they got to help in Spencer, but just a couple weeks later and he had it figured out!)

What birthday party is complete without balloons and a picture by them?  

the kid table

and I love to get a picture of me and the kids each time they have a birthday.  I hope they always treasure them as much as I treasure the pictures I have with my mom.
And now that Colby is three....he is officially potty trained!  He has gone a week without having an accident. Yeah!  We are so excited to not have to buy diapers any longer.  Thanks to a great day care and wonderful teachers who are willing to help....we really didn't have to fight him too long.  He wore pull-ups for a month or two and then switched to underwear.  About two weeks of pooping in them about every other day...and he was done.  I did borrow the bribery idea from Brenda, though.  The first time he pooped in the toilet at day care, we went and picked out a toy.  I told him he would lose it if he pooped in his underwear. The next day, he went in his underwear.  I took the toy.  (and he had picked out the only toy he had wanted for his birthday that he didn't get.)  The next day, he went in the potty.  Got the toy back.  I only had to take the toy away three times before he started just going so he could keep that toy!  I'm not saying it's the best method, but I guess there might be something to figuring out what motivates your kids and using that to get the end result you desire!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Spencer in September

Nothing says Spencer in September like the Clay County Fair!  The kids had a blast! 

Grandpa and his buddies





at Grandpa's Barn

Colby loved the animals.  He actually visited Grandpa's Barn twice the day we were there!

milking the cow

 headed to the midway

riding some rides


 Bode on the giant slide


Becky on the slide


Then Colby also got to celebrate his birthday!  




The bigger kids trying to show Colby how to blow out his candles.  They are so helpful!